Cable granulators and wire strippers

Granulators and strippers

Insulated wire is the biggest copper scrap stream, and cable granulators and strippers are how it is turned into clean copper without burning — a change that has moved copper processing to India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

A cable granulator chops insulated wire into millimetre-sized granules, then separates copper from plastic on an air-and-vibration table: the dense copper walks one way, the light plastic the other. Lines run from small units handling a few hundred kilograms an hour to plants processing several tonnes, with pre-shredders for armoured and heavy cable. The copper granules sell close to No. 1 copper; the plastic is sold on for recycling.

Wire strippers slit the insulation on single large cables so the copper can be pulled out whole — the right tool for heavy power cable and busbar sheathing. Burning insulation, once common, is prohibited in most countries and leaves burnt wire that only makes No. 2 grade.

Where the industry is

The granulation industry grew fastest where labour and plant costs were lowest: Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Pakistan process insulated wire from the United States, Europe and the Gulf. Processors in the exporting countries have installed granulators to keep the copper at home as import rules tightened.

Who makes them

European makers in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands build the larger lines; Chinese makers supply the bulk of small and mid-size granulators sold across Asia and Africa; Indian makers serve the domestic processors.

Makers

Long-established makers of this class of machine. Names first; the buttons go deeper.

At a glance

• Chop, then separate copper from plastic by density
• Copper granules sell near No. 1 copper
• Strippers for heavy single cables
• Burning is prohibited and devalues the copper

Other machinery and related grades